Teacher pension raises for 2026–27: plan by plan

Pension raises · November 5, 2026

A cost-of-living raise, or COLA, is the yearly increase some pension plans add to your check to help keep up with rising prices. Each plan has its own rule. Some give a raise every year. Some give none unless lawmakers step in. Some only raise part of your pension.

Here is where the biggest teacher pension plans stand for 2026–27, explained in plain terms.

The quick view

Texas TRS

Texas TRS has no automatic raise. The last permanent raise came in January 2024, after voters approved it in 2023. Retirees got 2% to 6%, depending on when they retired, and people who retired after August 2020 got nothing. The next chance is the 2027 legislative session. Read will retired Texas teachers get a raise in 2027?

CalSTRS

CalSTRS adds 2% every September 1. The key word is “simple.” The 2% is always figured on your first benefit, not your current one. If you started at $4,000, you get $80 more each year, every year. After 10 years you get $4,800.

CalSTRS also has a second protection called the Supplemental Benefit Maintenance Account. If prices rise a lot, it pays extra to keep your pension at 85% of what it could buy when you retired. Those payments come four times a year.

CalPERS

CalPERS gives a raise each May 1. Most members have a 2% limit, though some employers chose a higher one. The raise follows inflation, so if prices rise less than 2%, the raise is smaller. Unlike CalSTRS, the CalPERS raise builds on itself over time.

NYSTRS

New York’s raise is half of the inflation rate, but never less than 1% or more than 3%. It only applies to the first $18,000 of your yearly pension. In September 2026, the raise was 1.7%. The most anyone could get is $25.50 more a month.

You also have to wait to get it. Most retirees must be 62 and retired for 5 years, or 55 and retired for 10 years.

STRS Ohio

The STRS Ohio board decides the raise each year. For the year from July 2026 to June 2027, it is 1.6%, up from 1.5% the year before. It starts on the anniversary of your retirement date. After several lean years, this is welcome news for Ohio retirees, most of whom have no Social Security from teaching.

Florida FRS

Florida’s raise depends on when you worked. You get 3% a year, but only on the part of your pension earned before July 2011. If half your years were before then, your raise is 1.5%. If you started after July 2011, you get no raise at all.

Illinois TRS

Illinois has two groups. Tier 1 members, who started before 2011, get 3% every year, and it compounds, which means each raise builds on the last. Tier 2 members get the smaller of 3% or half of inflation, figured simply, and only from age 67.

Why “simple” and “compounded” matter

A small difference in how a raise works adds up over a long retirement. Here is what a $3,000 pension becomes after 10 and 20 years:

If you are comparing plans, or deciding between jobs in two states, the raise rule can be worth tens of thousands of dollars over a lifetime.

What about Social Security?

Social Security has its own raise. It is 3.6% for 2027, and it applies to everyone getting benefits. Since the Social Security Fairness Act, a non-covered pension no longer cuts your Social Security, so your full benefit gets the full raise.

Questions people ask

Does my COLA start right away? Not always. NYSTRS makes you wait several years. Illinois Tier 2 waits until 67. Check your plan’s rules.

Can a plan take a COLA away? Rules differ by state. In many states, the courts protect raises for people already retired.

Where do I see my plan’s full rules? Each plan page has the details. Start with CalSTRS, CalPERS, NYSTRS, STRS Ohio, Florida FRS or Illinois TRS.

Sources

• CalSTRS
• New York State Teachers' Retirement System
• STRS Ohio
• Illinois TRS